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I've always had a pretty clear vision of what I wanted this space to be but I've been detoured from my path by...lots and lost of other people's opinions and ways of doing things...

I'm committed to this little chunk of the interweb but I've also branched out into other places so! Now it's time to think of Red House Books as more of a hub of all things me! And Me is a hell of a lot of book love!

Friday, December 3, 2010

Most teens turn sixteen and get the license to drive, Lil Falcon gets the license to kill demons, but no one told her she is not supposed to fall in love with one.

Orphaned as a child and raised by an eccentric grandfather, Lil is concerned with surviving high school and is unaware she's a Guardian—a being with super powers charged with killing demons and protecting humanity. But when she meets Bran, a mysterious boy with amazing abilities, his psi energy unlocks her latent powers.

But Bran has a secret that can destroy their growing relationship. He's part demon. But in her heart, Lil knows Bran is not evil. So when her grandfather is kidnapped by a powerful nature-bender and Bran is the only one who knows where he's being kept, Lil convinces the other Guardians to trust him, not knowing her grandfather is just the bait. And the truth that she discovers in the demonic enclave may just destroy everything she believes in, unless she makes the right choice—love and sacrifice. (from Goodreads)

My thoughts:
Awakened is a perfect example of the old saying - don't judge a book by it's cover. Have to say it - I think the cover is completely wrong for a young adult book. It's a little too...sexy? BUT if you find yourself turned off by the cover? Ignore it - I think you'll be happy you did.

I very much enjoyed this story. It started out a little weird - a little too thrown right into the plot from page 1 but I went with it and all in all, it worked.

Lil is a pretty cool gal. Raised by her Grandfather, living the life of modern day gypsies, her entire world changes soon after her 16th birthday. She's suddenly thrown into a world she never could have imagined. She gains some kick ass friends and discovers powers within herself that are desperately needed to save the people she cares about.

And about those people...the romance? It was ok. As far as swoony, unbelievably perfect love interests go, Bran wasn't all that bad. Except for his name...had some issues with that but I didn't hold it against him. I actually really liked his character. His brother on the other hand I never really good a good feel for. He's important to the story but he was good and then he was bad and then he was still bad but doing good things. I couldn't pin him down.

I really loved the background of this story. The Nephilim and the Guardians and Souled Demons along with the Nosferatu and Nature-Benders? Very cool magical elements. Have to say, I would have liked this back story worked into the actual story of the book a little more. We get a lineage, glossary of terms and character bios before the first chapter. It was nice and I found myself referring back to it at times but I tend to like my back story in the story not next to it.

Final verdict:
A very good read for me. I know some people shy away from self published books or books from very small publishing houses but I'm willing to give just about any book a try and with Awakened I'm really glad I did. It's the first in a series and I'm very much looking forward to book 2.

I think Ednah has created a rich world that YA fantasy fans will really enjoy.